Tvan
Angel Diva
The Ski Diva has reviewed the Okemo Women’s Alpine Adventure program previously (https://www.theskidiva.com/clinic-review-okemos-womens-alpine-adventures/) and everything that she says is true. I just got back from the 5-day program – here’s my experience.
Sunday:
I arrived in Ludlow on Sunday afternoon and checked into Jackson Gore Inn. My room had a king size bed, and a seating area with a gas fireplace. I had a view of Jackson Gore, but the room closets were being used as owner’s closets and were locked. The bathroom was a little shabby, and some of the woodwork was scratched and run-down, but it was a clean and convenient place to stay, given that program sessions were being conducted in the Roundhouse building at Jackson Gore. Having valet parking for cars and ski valet for skis is a useful convenience.
I met @ski diva , Mr. Ski Diva, @Abbi @newboots and Newboot’s BF for dinner. It was wonderful to get together with friends, and we had lively and interesting conversation and a tasty meal. It was a great way to start the week!
Monday:
The program began at 8 am with breakfast. We convened in the Roundhouse mezzanine and sat with our coaches and our pre-assigned ski groups. Groups were determined based on how we rated our abilities when we registered. I was in a group of six intermediates, four of whom had attended the session before. In fact, two of my group-mates have attended this program for over 20 years. After breakfast, we booted up and headed out to the snow.
We started the day at Jackson Gore, doing a few short runs on greens to get everyone warmed up and giving our coach a chance to see us ski. We then progressed to the Solitude area at Okemo and spent the morning doing skill-building stance drills on some gentle blues and greens. Conditions were warm, soft and incredibly foggy. Visibility was very limited, and it was like skiing in pea soup. At noon, we headed back to Jackson Gore for lunch. The afternoon brought more skiing, and four members of the group decided not to ski, so it was more like a semi-private lesson. We worked on more drills, focusing on getting on our edges, and keeping “zipper forward” down the fall line. We skied till the lifts stopped spinning at 4:00 pm for a total of six hours on snow. I had a quiet dinner in the Inn and retired to bed.
Tuesday:
We woke to 40 degrees, heavy fog, and pouring rain. After breakfast several intrepid groups booted up, put on ponchos and headed out into the wet to ski. Only two of our group joined the morning session and we headed to the fitness center at The Spring House to work on dry land drills. Our coach is a physical therapist and personal trainer in addition to being a Level II ski instructor, so she was able to provide interesting and useful exercises to build core muscles, improve balance and reinforce proper stance. This was a very practical way to spend a rainy morning, focused on skiing.
The rain let up slightly in the afternoon and we put on ponchos and headed out to Jackson Gore again to translate our morning gym exercises to snow. Our instructor videoed us on her iphone and we reviewed videos over hot cups of tea, back in the Roundhouse in the late afternoon.
I spent the evening with a delightful group of new friends, having dinner at one of Ludlow’s many lovely restaurants.
Wednesday:
The temperature plunged overnight, and despite the groomer’s best efforts, the hill was an exercise in avoiding ice patches and ice cookies for most of the day. Our group headed to the Okemo side of the mountain first thing, riding the bubble lift to the top. Our first full run was down an ice cookie field of blue called Sapphire. I caught a tail on a large ice chunk part way down and lost my balance. I didn’t fall, but I lost my nerve, cried all the way down and very nearly called it a day. My coach and one of my team-mates talked me back onto the lift and I skied that damn run again…much better the second time…and made it all the way through the morning session with no more tears. Most of the team admitted that scrapey ice cookie fields of snow were putting us in survival mode on the hill. We focused again on edging and balance, and found a quiet place to practice side slipping and falling leaf drills.
After lunch, I went into town to take advantage of an expert tuning at Northern Ski Works, courtesy of coupons provided as part of the program. Who do you think I ran into there? That’s right: @ski diva and Mr. Ski_Diva!
Wednesday evening included a dinner party at the local home of one of the instructors. Food included Swiss Raclette, Cheese Fondue, and Chocolate Fondue, along with copious other yummy goodness and entertainment that had to be experienced to be believed. These gals know how to throw a party!
Thursday:
With freshly tuned skis and a groomed hill, Thursday was a much better day for skiing, and for me personally. Snow conditions were machine groomed granular and/or packed powder, based on where snowmaking had occurred overnight. The sun came out, visibility was great, and we tackled challenging blues throughout the day. I skied like a different person from the prior day,and managed to integrate some of the balance and edging drills into a run down a challenging black.
Thursday evening was the program banquet, with cocktails and dinner. Recognition was given to participants who were celebrating milestone years of 5, 10, 15, and 20+ years of attendance.
Friday:
On the final day, we woke to Bluebird skies, snowmaking, and tired legs. We again convened at breakfast and then booted up to take to the snow. Conditions were decent, with fresh man-made powder and grooming on many runs. We spent the morning revisiting drills from earlier in the week, interspersed with “free ski” runs down the hill. As legs gave out, people peeled off and headed back to Jackson Gore for a final lunch and departure for home.
Things to know before you go:
I’m happy to answer questions based on my experience.
Sunday:
I arrived in Ludlow on Sunday afternoon and checked into Jackson Gore Inn. My room had a king size bed, and a seating area with a gas fireplace. I had a view of Jackson Gore, but the room closets were being used as owner’s closets and were locked. The bathroom was a little shabby, and some of the woodwork was scratched and run-down, but it was a clean and convenient place to stay, given that program sessions were being conducted in the Roundhouse building at Jackson Gore. Having valet parking for cars and ski valet for skis is a useful convenience.
I met @ski diva , Mr. Ski Diva, @Abbi @newboots and Newboot’s BF for dinner. It was wonderful to get together with friends, and we had lively and interesting conversation and a tasty meal. It was a great way to start the week!
Monday:
The program began at 8 am with breakfast. We convened in the Roundhouse mezzanine and sat with our coaches and our pre-assigned ski groups. Groups were determined based on how we rated our abilities when we registered. I was in a group of six intermediates, four of whom had attended the session before. In fact, two of my group-mates have attended this program for over 20 years. After breakfast, we booted up and headed out to the snow.
We started the day at Jackson Gore, doing a few short runs on greens to get everyone warmed up and giving our coach a chance to see us ski. We then progressed to the Solitude area at Okemo and spent the morning doing skill-building stance drills on some gentle blues and greens. Conditions were warm, soft and incredibly foggy. Visibility was very limited, and it was like skiing in pea soup. At noon, we headed back to Jackson Gore for lunch. The afternoon brought more skiing, and four members of the group decided not to ski, so it was more like a semi-private lesson. We worked on more drills, focusing on getting on our edges, and keeping “zipper forward” down the fall line. We skied till the lifts stopped spinning at 4:00 pm for a total of six hours on snow. I had a quiet dinner in the Inn and retired to bed.
Tuesday:
We woke to 40 degrees, heavy fog, and pouring rain. After breakfast several intrepid groups booted up, put on ponchos and headed out into the wet to ski. Only two of our group joined the morning session and we headed to the fitness center at The Spring House to work on dry land drills. Our coach is a physical therapist and personal trainer in addition to being a Level II ski instructor, so she was able to provide interesting and useful exercises to build core muscles, improve balance and reinforce proper stance. This was a very practical way to spend a rainy morning, focused on skiing.
The rain let up slightly in the afternoon and we put on ponchos and headed out to Jackson Gore again to translate our morning gym exercises to snow. Our instructor videoed us on her iphone and we reviewed videos over hot cups of tea, back in the Roundhouse in the late afternoon.
I spent the evening with a delightful group of new friends, having dinner at one of Ludlow’s many lovely restaurants.
Wednesday:
The temperature plunged overnight, and despite the groomer’s best efforts, the hill was an exercise in avoiding ice patches and ice cookies for most of the day. Our group headed to the Okemo side of the mountain first thing, riding the bubble lift to the top. Our first full run was down an ice cookie field of blue called Sapphire. I caught a tail on a large ice chunk part way down and lost my balance. I didn’t fall, but I lost my nerve, cried all the way down and very nearly called it a day. My coach and one of my team-mates talked me back onto the lift and I skied that damn run again…much better the second time…and made it all the way through the morning session with no more tears. Most of the team admitted that scrapey ice cookie fields of snow were putting us in survival mode on the hill. We focused again on edging and balance, and found a quiet place to practice side slipping and falling leaf drills.
After lunch, I went into town to take advantage of an expert tuning at Northern Ski Works, courtesy of coupons provided as part of the program. Who do you think I ran into there? That’s right: @ski diva and Mr. Ski_Diva!
Wednesday evening included a dinner party at the local home of one of the instructors. Food included Swiss Raclette, Cheese Fondue, and Chocolate Fondue, along with copious other yummy goodness and entertainment that had to be experienced to be believed. These gals know how to throw a party!
Thursday:
With freshly tuned skis and a groomed hill, Thursday was a much better day for skiing, and for me personally. Snow conditions were machine groomed granular and/or packed powder, based on where snowmaking had occurred overnight. The sun came out, visibility was great, and we tackled challenging blues throughout the day. I skied like a different person from the prior day,and managed to integrate some of the balance and edging drills into a run down a challenging black.
Thursday evening was the program banquet, with cocktails and dinner. Recognition was given to participants who were celebrating milestone years of 5, 10, 15, and 20+ years of attendance.
Friday:
On the final day, we woke to Bluebird skies, snowmaking, and tired legs. We again convened at breakfast and then booted up to take to the snow. Conditions were decent, with fresh man-made powder and grooming on many runs. We spent the morning revisiting drills from earlier in the week, interspersed with “free ski” runs down the hill. As legs gave out, people peeled off and headed back to Jackson Gore for a final lunch and departure for home.
Things to know before you go:
- About ¾ of the attendees have been to the program before...it will seem like you are an outsider until you start chatting with your team-mates during meals.
- The average age of our session was 63. Seven of the 34 participants were over 70.
- Take outfits suitable for dinners out and the banquet on Thursday
- You will be expected to tip your instructor, the program director and the banquet staff. Take cash.
- These are long days of skiing. Prepare accordingly
- If you have dietary restrictions, be sure to inform the program leadership. The were limited choices for vegan, gluten-free and dairy- free participants. I was glad I took snacks that met my needs.
- For many participants, this week is about companionship as much as skiing. If you want a serious ski training program, this is not it. If you want to ski with friends and get some expert coaching and confidence-building along the way, this is the place to do it.
- You will make new friends
I’m happy to answer questions based on my experience.
